Chruściki (Kruschiki)

In continuing my Polishfest today (which will culminate in making my all time favorite, kielbasa and sauerkraut), I wanted to try my hand at making kruschiki – I will spell them this way throughout the recipe because it’s the Anglicized version of the Polish word. Hey, like my last name! Good ol’ Polish language. These fried bow cookies weren’t traditional for me growing up, but they were tradition for my dad when he was a young Wez. They are a bit of a pain to make – and if, like me, you’ve never fried a cookie before you will be incredibly nervous which is okay! – but the payoff is absolutely outstanding.

A few notes before we get started: make sure you have a way to monitor the temperature of your oil. If it gets too hot or too cold, you’re gonna have a bad time. Also, be careful with rolling out the cookies – you’re going to want them basically so thin you can see through them, which I didn’t figure out until towards the end of making them. They’re still delicious if the dough is thicker, but you won’t get the same crunch. Also, wear an apron. Just in case. Hot oil is hot.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Beat together the egg, egg yolks, butter and salt until it is thick and bright yellowI don’t have many in progess pictures for this one because I, and my phone, were COVERED in flour.

Gradually add the powdered sugar and brandy to the egg mixture

Slowly add in the flour, and knead the dough for 3ish minutes if you’re using a stand mixer, 5 minutes if by hand. Your dough should be thick and a little sticky, but not so sticky that it feels like glue. If this is the case, add a little extra flour until the correct consistency is reached.This is way, way too stickyBetter! Honestly a little *too* kneaded, but the end result is still good. I went 1 1/2 cups of flour instead of 1 1/4 cups and it showed.

Get ready to roll! You will be working with small balls of dough at a time, so keep the extra in the bowl covered with a clean and damp dishtowel.

On a floured surface (I used a pastry mat + flour because man, sticky dough) roll the dough very thin – so thin you can see through it, about 1/8th of an inch.

Take a sharp knife (or plastic pastry cutter, if you’re on a mat!) and cut the dough intro strips that are about 2 inches wide and 4 inches long.It took me a few tries to get the thickness right, but it’s definitely important to get them as thin as you can!

To form the cookies, cut a small (1 inch) slit in the middle of the dough and pull one end through the slit, making a bow.

In a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan, head 3-4 inches of oil until very hot, between 350 – 375°F. To test if it’s ready, drop a small scrap of dough in the hot oil – it should go straight to the bottom then float immediately to the top.It is very, very satisfying to see them puff up and bubble almost immediately. That means you’re doing it right!

Fry the cookies 3-5 at a time, depending on the size of your pan. Fry them for 30-45 seconds on each side, until just barely golden brown.Once again, trial and error – you can see some of the darker ones on the draining plate – but even those were still good!

Remove the cookies to a plate with paper towels for draining. Once they’re cooled completely, dust them liberally with powdered sugarOh, hell yes.

Enjoy!

And there you have it, friendos. Fried sugary cookie bow goodness – in case the metric ton of chocolate you got in your Easter basket wasn’t enough :).